The
GOSL has just proscribed religious rallies without defining such. If a
political party has a rally then it cannot be a religious rally, though a
political party that is overwhelmingly for a religious cause, is inevitably one
that represents a religious belief and would have to be a religious rally as it
does not normally encourage people who are NOT of that religion.
Would
it not make sense therefore to BAN ALL RELIGION RELATED PARTIES? In that way we
can rid this country of this religious cancer that his spreading complete with
Vitriol and Hate towards all who do not belong!
I
have always maintained that the TNA along with the above mentioned also need to
be banned, so we have political ideologies that cut across racial and religious
lines where those race based and religion based organizations are permitted
only as societies that represent those communities for their own good.
This
compromise is the way forward for a multiracial and multicultural country.
Until we have all people subscribing to that overall objective there is NO SAFE
future for any community in Sri Lanka. That is a fact. You cannot use the power
of the state over another minority community however large or small that may
be.
It
is the time we now ask the saffron robes to improve the moral fabric of those
who claim to follow their beliefs and leave the political work to people who
are elected for that purpose. When there is a clear distinction between the rights
and responsibilities of these two parties, then there is a correct path to peace
and prosperity as it would eventually happen.
Religion
being the opiate of the masses, is thus confined to the precincts of the Temples
or Churches and ALL extremists and fundamentalists can be dealt with the full force
of the law.
This
sounds very simple, but it is. It is the ONLY way we can resolve our differences
and go forward as ONE nation, putting our nationhood before all, and keeping our
religious beliefs closeted within our own behavior and gathering. We must therefore
prevent outward proselytizing, as it somehow irks the leaders of uneducated peoples
as their flock is prone to be easily manipulated. I am prepared to live under these
restrictions for the greater good of the community we live in.
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=105685
ReplyDeleteThe double standards operating are clearly illustrated in the above article, where Muslims are prevented from having a rally and the very next day, the BBS was permitted to hoold a rally opposite of the Dalada Maligawa.
Even worse, the BBS rally was a sort of challenge to the no rallies rule of the GOSL, as otherwise they may not have even held the rally!!!
In that context it is clear that there are different criteria applied depending which religion one belongs to! Sri Lankans must understand this reality of how different people are treated and make a judgement call as to what it is they are prepared to accept and why.
Then it if it clearly race or religion based then all they can do is appeal to any body that overseas the HR levels of states and opine as to its legality.